Adoptive Brothers?
by Dark Raven Wrote
Summary: Harry is raised by a small herd of Centaurs. He was happy and loved, by his adoptive mother and the rest of his half human family. That is until another certain seventeen year old is found in their forest and is adopted into the herd.
1. Prologue

_Summary: Harry is raised by a small herd of Centaurs. He was happy and loved, by his adoptive mother and the rest of his half human family. That is until another certain seventeen year old is found in their forest and is adopted into the heard._

_Warnings: Swearing, more human centaurs than J K Rowling intended, possible very slight malexmale (not sure)._

_Disclaimer: I do not own or pretend to own any of J K Rowling's creations and I gain nothing from writing this except experience and the opinions of the wonderful people who are kind enough to comment once they read my works. I make no profits._

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Adoptive Brothers?

Prologue

The light was fading from both the physical world and his own little world. He could hear his panting clearly, resounding into his ears and echoing around his head. His eyes finally slipped shut and the chaos of swirling leaves above him disappeared.

Even though his eyes were closed, his other senses were functioning far to well for comfort, could they not just accept the fact that he wanted to give up.

A slight breeze brushed over his face, making his features twinge at the small touch automatically. He could feel the soft carpet of crushed, autumn leaves beneath him and fleetingly felt a 'thank you' flash across his mind; they had cushioned his fall well.

He started to shiver. A sharp pain throbbed beneath his temples and he could feel his forehead blazing but with the chill of the wind came a cold sweat. He was finding it a difficult to stop his panting. His body was floating into the numbing void of fever he had only ever experienced once. He fell into the dark land filled with his ever destructive, disastrous, dangerous and dilapidated memories.

His hair was mudded and soiled, now black from the dirt that nestled there. He had been running most of the night, charcoal cloaked figures lingering in the shadows in his wake as he made for the forest, a place where he could hide.

His muscles were screaming at him, even in his half unconscious state he could feel then begging him to give up, to turn himself in.

His father had come for him at sunset and he had had no other option other than to run, literally, for his life. The forest was not that far from the mansion he used to call home but it had seemed to take forever to get there. His breathing had quickly become rugged and laboured. His legs had swiftly threatened to collapse. His heart had almost immediately begun to pound, ricocheting through his ears and making his ear drums thud.

Now though, with his eyes refusing to open, he felt his mind beginning to leave the world of the awake.

* * *

Harry looked up at the stars, again. Hynah was teaching him about the western stars, again. He was starting to feel like he lived up in those stars and had no need to name them and a few examples of their meanings when reading of the future.

"Mother, why are we doing this, again?"

"You are not yet good enough to keep up with our own fouls."

"Don't you have any faith in me?"

"Yes dear, but I'm just being realistic."

"Can I at least take a break?"

"If you must, be back before morning."

"Sure, Mother."

Having said this, Harry sprang up from his lying position and began to job through the forest. Years of living in the forest had given him the ability to see well in the dark. His adoptive brothers had always given him a hard time about not being able to see as well as them, but as the years flew by from childhood to his teenage years he grew used to living in the dark of the forest and his eyes had become almost as good as his family's.

The forest was quiet. Nothing stirred. And yet he felt someone watching him as he slid over a fallen tree. The birds that were usually so cheerful and loud around twilight seemed to be nonexistent as he made his way towards the edge of the forest.

It was not that he cared for or wished to be with his own kind, he was content to stay with the centaurs that had so kindly taken him in, it was more the fact that he was fascinated by the sight of man made objects. They were all so ludicrous and strange, things he knew were not needed to survive. He had lived sixteen good years in the forest to this day and only the odd bug or plant had ever harmed him, although he admitted freely that it had been his own fault.

Upon reaching the edge of the trees, Harry plonked himself ungracefully onto yet another fallen tree. The storm last week had been strong on the outskirts of the forest it seemed. He froze when a movement behind him snapped a twig. Then the wind picked up the slight disturbance of breath. He gulped and fought the urge to jump into the large pile of leaves off to his right.

"BROTHER!" A scream tore from his throat and he fell from his log. He turned stiffly to see one of his brothers flying towards him. Toran was only a year his senior but his size would have led anyone to believe differently. As with the rest of the herd, he towered above poor Harry. His equestrian body was a dark brown, chunky and muscled, like his human half, which was darkly skinned. Mud brown hair trailed down his back. His feline features drew on the eyes, especially to his own abnormal eyes, which were a dark, starlit blue.

"Do you have to be so energetic?"

"I was looking for you."

"The sun hasn't set yet, let alone risen. I don't have to come back yet."

"No, I was wondering if you wanted to spend some time together."

"Not at the moment. I'm busy."

Harry turned back to look out across the wheat fields. On the darkening horizon he could make out the human houses, their windows lit up by a bright light. Hynah had told him it came from 'electricity' and was something to do with science but she did not know more.

He felt Toran's eyes on the back of his head and heard what he suspected to be as an indignant murmur of something along the lines of, 'busy, pah, you're looking at poison.'

His brother came up behind him, resting his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"Peace is good."

"Only when we have it."

"Which isn't often." Harry let out a huff, puffing his fringe out in front of his face.

"Well maybe we would now if you shut up for a second."

"Hey, what's that?"

"I don't want to play your games tonight, Toran."

"No seriously, there, by that tree."

Harry looked to the holly tree his brother was indicating and gasped. Next to it lay a human, no older than himself. In the light available, Harry could make out mudded, pale hair, drying sweat and blood encasing his clothing and the small, defeated rise and fall of his chest.

"I'm going back to tell Mother." Harry heard the beating of his brothers' hooves and he galloped away but was to entranced by this boy, man really, care.

He slowly edged towards the dimly lit figure and knelt over him. The human's eyes were closed. Harry reached out a hand and gently drew his fingers along the pale skin of his neck, searching for the light beating of a pulse. Pale blue eyes opened ever so slightly, slits looking up at him. The breathing of the boy quickened. He seemed to be trying to form words.

"Where…?"

"Lakefield Forest."

"Who…you?"

"Harry." The eyes locked on his for a second before they seemed to mist over. They fell shut as the tensed body relaxed, but not before letting out a breathy identity in little more than a whisper.

"Draco Malfoy."

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_Thanks for reading. Please R&R. If no one reviews I don't think I'm going to write another chapter 'cos I don't know if people will like it, so please do, even if it's just a 'good' or a 'no' R&R._

_Dark Raven 4426_


	2. While You're Still Asleep

_AN: Just to say thank you to the reviews I received so quickly and I hope for more, plus the alerts, thank you. I know there isn't much talking (hardly any - ok two sentences!) but don't worry your pretty little heads, the arguing will start next chapter or so ;) So without further ado._

_DISCLAIMER STILL APPLIES_

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While You're Still Asleep

"Well, it's nothing he won't recover from. The only medicine I can prescribe is a good rest." Harry looked up at his mother. He had not liked the sound of her voice. Although her words were as joyous and friendly as ever, he could here something hidden in her words, some emotion she did not want him to hear.

He looked up from the boy lying on the grass below him at Hynah. She was looking down at the both of them with a passive face, but she had a glint in her eye he could not place. She suddenly flickered her glance up slightly to his face and a smile, although half fake, lightly graced her features as she began to turn away.

However, as she began to walk away, he swore he saw a different look glimmer across her face. It crossed her features so quickly, though, he could not have been positively sure it was even there to begin with, what was it? Disgust?

Before he had time to think on it too much, she was gone from his sight. He would have pondered upon it further if it had not been for a low grumble below him. His line of vision slid back down to the body next to where he was positioned, one knee on the ground. The figure shifted a little but the eyes did not open and once his position was changed he once again became motionless.

Harry was thrilled to be so close to one of his own kind. He had seen many other humans before but only at a distance. The centaurs never liked him to leave the forest beyond picking herbs or looking for food in the long grass of the fields. Never once in his years had even said a word to another of his kin, so now he was left wondering how it could be that he felt so comfortable with another. He had been completely at ease when he had first conversed with this being, if only shortly. He had been nervous, he knew, but he had not felt the need to retreat even when he heard the small voice.

Harry brought his other knee down t rest on the soft grass that scattered the ground. The sun had started to rise only moments ago and a wash of red was beginning to waft above the tree tops. Between the trunks of safety he would see the beautiful orb rising from its time of rest, waking what ever it happened to glance upon. The sky was lightening above him, glowing with the breath of rebirth. Trees around him seemed to pulse back to life as the slightest glimpse of light trickled through even the tips of their emerald leaves. Harry sighed. Here he was comfortable. Here he was safe. Here he was at home.

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A few hours later, Harry returned to the boy's side. _'Draco Malfoy'_ he reprimanded himself. He had already gotten into the habit of avoiding the human's name and knew he should not, it meant he was already distancing himself from his kind, even though he was completely comfortable with him, this confused Harry. Nevertheless, Harry once more knelt beside the boy, Draco Malfoy. He was not sure what to call the human. He had given two names and Harry was not sure which to use. He had not known they used two names. Did that mean he had a second name as well? 

Harry kept being drawn back to Draco Malfoy, though, he could not help it. It was like some instinct he had never known he had, that had suddenly come to life. Every time he paused, if only for a moment, his thoughts were drawn back to the mud splattered human boy. He often tried to forget about him by remembering the disturbing look of disgust he knew his mother had worn, if only for a second. Of course, by now he had talked himself into believing completely that the expression had not been a figment of his imagination and was indeed real, but still, that did not mean he understood it.

As with a lot of centaur habits and emotions, he did not understand them. They would explain to him over and over but still he could not quite grasp why they always had to pick the highest apple from a tree, or how it was that they always knew whether the lake would be topped with ice under the illumination of certain full moons. He had never understood why they were never quick to anger, unlike himself, and why they felt not the need to keep food aside only for themselves but shared around the group as if they were a single life form together.

Even though Harry did not understand these things and more besides, he knew some of their habits had rubbed off on him over time. He never picked the lowest apple but wishing to be different – and because he could not reach – he never chose the highest either. Although he never knew whether the lake would he icy, he did share his belongings as if they were not solely his own. He was, however, quite quick to rage although usually he seethed quietly or ran off on his own to let his and out on the ground below him by kicking and stomping as he ran.

Harry realised is mind was beginning to wonder, again, and swiftly brought his thoughts back to Draco Malfoy. He was still lying where he had left him a few hours ago. He had only shifted a little, to bring one arm above his head and splay his fingers through the fine strands of greenery.

The forest was so peaceful at that moment that Harry could hear the male human's breath whispering softly between his lips. His eyes registered every small detail of the miniscule movements the being was making. The twitch of his fingers every so often as a chill breath of wind ghosted over them. The soft rise and fall of his chest as his own breath fluttered into his lungs and back. The minute stirring of his dirty hair, sliding across the pale skin of his forehead. Even the tiny crease that, every so often, found its way to his brow as he dreamed, although he still never moved.

Harry studied him for a while, glancing up and down the slim body in wonder. He had never seen a full human body that close, only his own. He realised he knew nothing about humans and their way of life, his own kind and he knew nothing of them.

As Harry continued to drown himself in what was the feeling of solitude, loneliness and misery, the young man below him began to stir. His eyelids slowly drew back, fluttering at the light, and his shining silver eyes swirled as his new world came into focus.

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_Thanks for reading R&R if you will, please._

_Dark Raven 4426_


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